Dancing tractor 'Tready' takes on world record attempt

TREADY the dancing tractor and Richie are a couple of dare devils with a world record attempt in their sights.

Richie Rae, a 71-year-old great-grandfather from Hatton Vale, is no stranger to the motor racing industry but Sunday's world record attempt for the furtherest distance a tractor can 'dance' on two wheels is a new challenge for the pair.

"I have been involved with motor racing on and off all my life including trucks," he said.

"We looked at building this tractor probably 40 years ago but we never got round to it. Then 12 months ago we decided we had batter do it now."

Tready, short for 50's dancing star Tread Astair, was four months in the making.

"There isn't one out there like Tready. There are some that can wriggle around on all four wheels but nothing that can stand up on its back legs and dance to music," Richie said.

Richie Rae with Tready the dancing tractor.Cordell Richardson

"I used to be a helicopter pilot and when you have this tractor up in the air doing doughnuts, it's probably the closest feeling you'll get to spinning a helicopter.

"You just give it enough herbs and open the throttle and it will jump up. Keeping it up in the air is the biggest challenge."

The world record is set for 8.5km and Richie is aiming for 10km. "I think I can do it, I'm hoping. As long as it has a pretty constant beat, it can dance to anything," Richie said. "I was a dancer as young teenager, that's the way things were in those days. I did ballroom dancing but Tready is in a league of his own. He wriggles around and jumps up and down."

The community can go along to the dirt track on Champions Way at Willowbank on Sunday to watch Tready attempt the world record.